Kenya

Located in East Africa, Kenya is home to seventy distinct ethnic groups and over 30 different languages. Recent successes in Kenya’s education sector include an increase in primary school enrolment, from 8.8 million in 2010 to 9.86 million in 2011 (Government of Kenya 2012).

With more children attending school, new efforts must be made to ensure that there are sufficiently qualified teachers. However, the Kenyan government reports limited funding for teacher training and continuous professional development (Government of Kenya). In fact, a survey of primary schools in Kenya found that Grade 6 teachers scored only 60% on tests designed for their students (UNESCO 2014).

In Kajiado, home to many marginalized communities, too few teachers are adequately-prepared to teach reading and writing and schools are unable to supply the engaging books needed to motivate students to read and learn for pleasure.

The project addresses these issues by:

providing professional development to teachers

increasing access to culturally-relevant and engaging materials in English, Kiswahili and Maa; and

building the capacity of the local education system

Reading Kenya aims to develop a culture of reading so that children can grow up to be critical thinkers, and life-long learners with a better chance at a bright future.

CODE’s Burt Award for African Literature, which supports the writing and publication of high-quality fiction in English for young adults (from 12 to 18 years old) has also been present in Kenya since 2011.

Country Stats

Capital: Nairobi

Population: 44.353 million

Area: 582,650 km2

GDP (per capita): $133 billion

Languages: Kenya has two official languages, English and Kiswahili, but there are 67 spoken languages throughout the country.

Literacy Rate: 85.9%

Literacy Rate for Women: 86.6%

Literacy Rate for Men: 85.2%

Out-of-school Rate: 13.8% of school-aged children do not attend school

Where We Work: Kajiado region, a semi-arid area inhabited by the Maasai community

Did you know?

In this and other arid regions of Kenya, an average of 7 out of 10 children in class 3 cannot do class 2 work.* Are Our Children Learning? Annual Learning Assessment Report 2011, 2012 Summary of Findings

Meet Rick Wilks - CODE Expert VolunteerApr 06, 2017At CODE we are so fortunate to work with some incredible volunteers. One of these amazing people is Rick Wilks. Rick transformed Canada’s literary landscape in 1976 when he co-founded Annick Press Ltd – one of the most cutting edge and innovative......read full article...

International Development WeekFeb 06, 2017It’s #IDW2017! Time to reflect on why education is so vital and how we must work harder to ensure that ALL children get the opportunity — and the right — to learn. From Feb 5-11 celebrate Canada's contributions to int'l development & encourage all......read full article...

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The professional development workshops offered to some 350 teachers as part of Reading Kenya will not only help them become better at teaching reading and writing, but will also help to create a sense of pride in their profession.

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CODE

By 2018, Reading Kenya will have impacted 40,000 lower-primary students in Kajiado.

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CODE

Through Reading Kenya, CODE and its partner NDBCK aim to promote a culture of reading for pleasure though activities such as this Book March, held in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

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CODE

School libraries are key in developing a culture of reading for pleasure. CODE works to provide children with engaging books they will want to read.

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CODE

In Kajiado, too few teachers are adequately-prepared to teach reading and writing. Through Reading Kenya, they will develop teaching and class management strategies that will help them to improve the learning outcomes of their students.

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CODE

CODE expert-volunteer Dr. Angela Ward, Professor Emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan, works with teachers in Kajiado to help them improve their skills in teaching reading and writing.

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CODE

Through Reading Kenya, 70 school libraries will receive collections of children’s books in English, Kiswahili and Maa and workshops to provide training to local writers on how to write engaging books for young readers will be held annually.

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CODE

The Burt Award for African Literature - Kenya aims to support the writing and publication of high-quality fiction in English for young adults (from 12 to 18 years old.)

Photo Credits:

NDBCK

Good, engaging books in English and local languages are an essential part of Reading Kenya. The objective is to develop a culture of reading so children can grow up to be critical thinkers, life-long learners and have a better chance at a bright future.

Photo Credits:

CODE

The Reading Kenya approach is based on three main elements: providing professional development to teachers; increasing access to culturally-relevant and engaging materials; and building the capacity of the local education system.

Photo Credits:

CODE

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